Report on the Natural Resources of Assateague Island National Seashore and a Spatial Analysis of Shoreline Change in Relation to Off-Road Vehicle Use

by Carlson, Michael C.

Abstract (Summary)

National seashores, similar to national parks, are pristine natural areas where human
management proves crucial in maintaining natural resources. This paper reports on the
conditions of the aquatic and terrestrial natural resources of Assateague Island National Seashore
and the possible erosional effects of Off Road Vehicles (ORV) along the shore. The first
exigency Assateague Island faces is negotiating many state and federal jurisdictions. The second
problem is in the management of the marine and coastal floral and faunal resources. The
National Park Service (NPS), on Assateague has focused much more on land-based issues; as a
result, preservation of marine resources has been secondary to consideration given to terrestrial
resources. The concern over vehicle use on beaches is currently much debated on coastal
seashores along the east coast of the United States. The ORV analysis in this paper looks at the
potential geologic shoreline changes on Assateague Island that occur as a result of driving on the
beach and sand dunes. Significant previous land use analysis on Assateague Island has been
done using light detecting and ranging (LIDAR) data. Although, LIDAR data helped shed light
on the effect of the Ocean City inlet in North Assateague, previously it has not been used in
determining impacts of beach driving. The general conclusion of this paper indicates that from
the year 2000 to 2004, significant erosion occurred near areas of high ORV use.